The present invention relates to language translation. In particular, the present invention relates to a translation service that is provided to a device over a network.
In our increasingly connected modern world, specific instances wherein a language barrier makes it difficult to communicate are becoming more and more frequent. A typical scenario is a foreign traveler who cannot understand the native language associated with the country in which they have emerged themselves. It is difficult for such a traveler to communicate with native people even with the simplest sentences. For example, a foreign traveler with no knowledge of the language associated with the country that they are visiting will have a difficult time making daily life communications with the local people to accomplish even simple tasks. Such tasks may include hotel check-in and checkout, taking a taxi, finding a restroom, or exchanging currency, to give just a few examples.
It is expected that the popularity of wireless mobile devices (i.e., Personal Digital Assistants, Pocket PC's, palm computers, handheld computers, smart phones, intelligent mobile phones, etc.) will continue to increase in the future. This increase in popularity is expected to coincide with a decrease in the cost of wireless and 3G communication services.
Accordingly, as time moves on, it will become increasingly desirable to implement an efficient and effective universal language translation system for a mobile device. A device implementing such a system will assist individuals, such as foreign travelers, who desire to overcome challenges posed by language barriers. Technological limitations, however, make it difficult to provide high quality translation for free text (i.e., substantially unlimited text). These limitations must be overcome or sidestepped in order to enable a truly efficient and effective mobile translation system.